Kalavathi G V

Kalavathi GV (Kala) is the Executive Director and Head of the Global Development Centre (DC) at Siemens Healthineers (Siemens Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.). In this role, she leads one of the organisation’s largest technology excellence centres outside Germany, with operations in India and Slovakia. Under her leadership, DC plays a critical role in advancing precision health solutions and enabling global and local healthcare innovation.

With nearly three decades of industry experience, Kala brings deep expertise in product segmentation, R&D development, and market-focused innovation. Before joining Siemens Healthineers, she served as the Senior Vice-President and Global Head of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and the Software Centre of Excellence at Royal Philips. There, she led large-scale transformation programs and drove global healthcare growth through technology leadership. Her earlier tenure at GE Healthcare, spanning over a decade, was marked by her focus on globalisation and delivering value from India to global markets. 

She firmly believes that Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have evolved into innovation centres that co-drive strategy, innovation, and business outcomes. At Siemens Healthineers, she has championed the belief that healthcare is inherently local, and so must be the solutions. She emphasises the importance of increasing patient touchpoints and sees collaboration as the cornerstone for driving meaningful, context-aware impact. She has fostered a multi-dimensional approach that includes strengthening talent development, focused on academic partnerships and upskilling initiatives, while also building ecosystem collaborations to accelerate innovation and knowledge exchange.

Kala’s journey is defined by purpose, resilience, and a strong commitment to making a difference in the world. She is driven by the strong purpose of saving and making a difference in people’s lives. She is a strong advocate for digital transformation and its potential to improve access and outcomes in healthcare, especially for underserved populations. She actively contributes to various industry forums and councils, working at the intersection of healthcare and IT to strengthen India’s leadership in the global innovation ecosystem. She is also a committed voice for increasing the representation of women in senior technology roles.